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Analysis
Anita has a knack for making great use of statistics and knowing exactly when they are to be used. In the "Damsel in Distress Part 2 - Tropes vs Women in Video Games" video, she shows example after example of violence and unhealthy treatment of women, before rounding out her train of thought with a few devastating facts. A "Every 9 seconds a woman is assaulted or beaten in the United States and on average more than three women are murdered by their boyfriends, husbands, or ex-partners every single day." Anita also quotes a study dictating "Research consistently shows that people of all genders tend to buy into the myth that women are the ones to blame for the violence men perpetrate against them. In the same vein, abusive men consistently state that their female targets deserved it, wanted it or were asking for it" These two quotes frame exactly how she approaches with her logical appeal. The quotes themselves are succinct, detailed, and to the point. These quotes in particular paint a picture of an obvious issue for women in society today. It's important to understand how she uses these statistics in her persuasion. The context surrounding these quotes in her video is that of a statement of fact, not as if they are part of the argument. She builds off these facts instead of letting them be the point of the argument. After these two statistics that establish a reality real women live in, she maintains that there is a connection between the real and the virtual. One of the rhetorical techniques she utilizes to drive the pathos point home is that of repetition. In both the "Damsel in Distress Part 1" and "Damsel in Distress Part 2", she utilizes repetition to show just how overdone and common the tropes are, furthering the stereotypes. " In Medievil 2 your murdered girlfriend’s soul is stolen and you must fight to save her. ... In The Darkness 2 your murdered girlfriend’s soul is trapped in hell and you must fight to free her. ... In Shadows of the Damned your murdered girlfriend’s soul is trapped in hell and you must fight to free her." By utilizing this repetition she is showing that it truly is overdone, and even if it weren't alienating to 45% of the video game consumer base, it would still be a frustrating statistic to know that game companies rehash the exact same thing year after year. It is at this point, with her argument solidified in logic, that she expands her reasoning to utilize the Pathos appeal. Knowing what happens in the real world, she warns of a correlation. "Given the reality of that larger cultural context, it should go without saying that it's dangerously irresponsible to be creating games in which players are encouraged and even required to perform violence against women in order to save theme". The connection seems obvious once she explains the issue, yet absurd that no one has taken steps to stop situations like this happening in games. An emotional evocation of anger, frustration, and guilt was established at least in myself. She announces something similar at the beginning of each of her videos as she did in the Damsel in Distress Part 2 video with "it's both possible (and even necessary) to simultaneously enjoy a piece of media while also being critical of it's more problematic or pernicious aspects." It's this reminder and her objective responses to the material that force us to calmly evaluate her claims, which at times can force the viewer to feel guilty if they appreciated a game and didn't consider how the people within the game were treated. At this point, it becomes obvious that there is only one Aristotelian Appeal left to utilize (apart from kairos). Anita's Ethos is almost non-existent. At no point does she use a phrase similar to "As a woman..." or "As a gamer..." to further her argument, which could be confusing as she is both of those, and publicly identifies as them. Considering why she doesn't ''use a certain method of persuasion can be quite tricky, as any determination would be pure conjecture. Based on the way in which many individuals have harassed her, however; it could be ventured that using her ethos and expertise could create more harassment for herself as there are people out there eager to injure her. By not extending her own ethos, she can prevent critical attention aimed purely at herself. [http://higgi275.wikia.com/wiki/Higgi275_Wikia '''Home']